Haunted
by Emerald Lotus
Summary: As Ben's worst nightmares come to life, he is thrown into a life or death situation. And answers to the mystery of the past five years come to light. But will Ben be able to survive it all? HIATUS
1. Chapter 1

Today was probably going to be the worst and last day of my life. Sure, it had started out normal enough. I went to school, took a physics test, practiced a little with the soccer team, and then went to Mr. Smoothy with Julie after she finished Tennis. It was almost perfect, because I had my girlfriend next to me and a smoothie in my hand. Yet as fate would have it my day was just too good to be true. I went to take a sip of my smoothie, and then I heard the sound of a muscle car in the distance, and I knew what was coming. It was only seconds until a familiar green Camaro zipped into the parking lot at a very unsafe speed. The wheels screeched to a halt leaving skid marks on the ground. The passenger window rolled down revealing Kevin and Gwen.

"Get in!" Kevin shouted at me.

I looked at Julie apologetically, and she smiled. "Be careful."

I set my smoothie reluctantly on the table. "I will. See you tomorrow," I called over my shoulder as I ran to the vehicle, and crawled into the backseat. Kevin instantly pushed down on the gas pedal before I could even buckle my seatbelt. "Geez, what's the emergency?"

"There was a ship that crash landed in the desert," Gwen said.

"So, that happens a lot."

"Yeah, except this one is different. It's not from space, it just appeared all of a sudden," Kevin started to explain.

"How is that possible?" I asked.

"The scanners picked up traces of a photon trail which indicates inter-dimensional travel. So I'm gonna say the obvious. The ship came from another dimension."

"Okay…that is a little different. Do you know which dimension?" I asked. Not that I was knowledgeable about aliens from different dimensions.

"Uh no," Kevin replied. "That's why we're checking it out."

"I guess we'll find out when we get there," I looked out the window and watched as the desert streaked by. There was the occasional cactus and some cliffs in the distance, but no alien spaceships. "How far out is the ship?"

Kevin looked at his dashboard which was hooked up with all kinds of different technology. Mostly stuff that he 'acquired' while we were on missions. There was a radar screen in the middle of it all. "Scanners said it was about seventy miles outside Bellwood. So by now I'd say we're probably thirty miles away."

"Are you really going that fast?" Gwen asked, surprised. She leaned over to look at the speedometer. "You know it's a good thing we're Plumbers, or we would so get pulled over."

Kevin laughed at the thought of being pulled over. "No cop can keep up with me."

"And you know this how?" Gwen asked. She was staring him down like she does when he slips and says something he shouldn't.

"I'm just guessing. You know my car is pretty fast and all."

They continued with the subject of Kevin's speeding for a few more minutes and then moved onto other topics. I tuned them out, and watched the paint lines on the road until they seemed to mix together. It was oddly comforting as the white merged with the black completely, and my world was suddenly fell silent. Kevin and Gwen's voices faded completely, along with the soft rumble of the engine and the tires rolling along the blacktop. It was just me, and an infinite black abyss surrounding me. I didn't understand what was going on. Where did the desert go? I tried to speak, but no words would come out no matter how hard I willed them to. So instead I tried to move, but was stuck floating aimlessly in the black space. I was about to panic, but then it sounded like someone was laughing at me as I tried to struggle in place. A wind suddenly whipped past me. It grew stronger until it felt like a hand was on gripping my shoulder and pushed me flat onto my back. The impact was great and left me breathless.

"Ben!" I lurched forward at the unexpected sound of my name, gasping. Gwen had her hand on my shoulder, and a confused expression on her face. "You fell asleep. Are you okay?"

I realized it was just a dream, but it was frightening in a way. Though, I didn't know why. I looked at Gwen; she was waiting for me to say something. "Um, yeah. Sorry. How long was I out?"

"Only about fifteen minutes, but we're here." Gwen said. I looked past her, and saw a rather large spacecraft sticking out of an even larger crater.

"Okay…"

"Well, we don't have all day, Tennyson. Let's go!" Kevin said. His car door was already open.

"Alright. I'm coming," I got out of the car behind Gwen. The three of us stood in front of the ship trying to decide what to do. "So are we going to wait until whatever's inside shows itself, or go aboard?"

"I would have to say wait until they show themselves. Which would be now," Kevin pointed to the ship.

Near the rear hatch were about twenty aliens standing there just watching us. From the look of it there were two different species in the group. The first were very peculiar looking. They had a similar appearance to a raptor, like the ones from Jurassic Park movies. But stood more erect, with longer leaner bodies and their scales were a shinning white color. Each one had different intricate black markings on their bodies. They looked like they could eat you whole with their teeth emerging from their jaws, and past their lips. Finally their eyes shined like a cat's eye, glowing an eerie purple in the desert's darkness.

The other species appeared to be a bit more humanoid. There were only about five or six of them in the group. They stood at about eight feet tall, and were very thin and elegant looking. Their faces were white and eyes glowed purple, similar to the raptor-like aliens. Their bodies were covered in dark robes, with hoods up over their heads.

"What should we do?" Gwen whispered.

"Pound 'em?" Kevin answered. Gwen gave him a questioning look. "What? It was just a suggestion."

"I don't know. They aren't moving. They might not be violent," I glanced back at them. They hadn't moved, but their stares were starting to freak me out. "I guess I'll try talking to them." I took a step forward, but still kept a good distance between us. "Um, greetings and welcome to Earth," there was no response from the aliens just their constant stares. It was beginning to frustrate me.

"Say something else. I think their listening," Gwen urged.

"Okay. Uh, I'm Ben Tennyson, you may have…" They suddenly made movements amongst each other. They were talking in harsh rushed whispers, the raptor-like ones listening carefully to the robed ones. Apparently they were they leaders. Then one of them pointed at me, and shouted something. The raptors hissed, and moved forward.

"I told you we should have beaten them!" Kevin shouted, as he kneeled down to armor himself with the rock from the ground.

"Yeah, okay you were right. We'll talk later," I quickly activated the Ultimatrix, and Jetray's hologram popped up. I was a second away from pushing the dial, when all of a sudden I was shoved from behind, a sharp pain raking across my back. I could feel something warm trickle down my back. Blood? I stumbled forward, only to find one of those stupid white lizards in front of me. It turned around whipping its tail and swept my legs out from beneath me. The air was knocked out of my lungs instantly. How had they managed to get so close without any of us noticing? Then I got my answer as more appeared out of thin air, they were invisible.

Kevin and Gwen shouted, but I couldn't see them. I was totally surrounded by those creatures. They were growling and chirping, at each other. They sounded happy, and then a command came from one of their leaders. The one closest to me cocked its head toward me, looking at me with those solid, pale, purple eyes. Then it unexpectedly bit into my shoulder. I cried out as its long teeth swiftly sank into my flesh. It burned, but felt like ice had slithered into my veins. I heard Gwen yell, and could see the vague image of Kevin trying to push his way through the crowd of aliens, punching them away viciously. The alien that had its teeth in me pulled away, my blood dripping from its mouth. I could smell the metal tinge of the blood. It was a sickening sight, and I almost retched.

For a moment I wondered why they had attacked. I've never seen them before in my life, but then I remembered I'm famous. I have so many enemies that I can't count them all, and some just hate me because of my reputation. I almost laughed, because it just seemed odd that I was going to be killed by someone I didn't know.

But the reality was that I'm a target for millions in the universe. So now I was lying on the hard, frigid ground that seemed to be draining the warmth out of me faster than the blood seeping from my wounds. My lungs were fighting to inflate with much needed oxygen as I lay there gasping. It was probably due to shock or how fast I had hit the ground a moment ago. I couldn't move anymore, and it felt like I couldn't blink. All I could do was watch the alien with its maw stained with crimson. However, within seconds my body began to go numb, and my vision started to double and blur. Their saliva must have been toxic. That was just fantastic. I was supposed to be a hero, but didn't even have time to make one heroic move. Instead I was a beaten, bleeding mess dying in the middle of the desert.

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**I've had this idea in my head for almost a year now, and just now got it fleshed out and posted. I hope that this first chapter was enjoyable or intriguing. Please review, I live for constructive criticism!**

**Thanks,**  
**Emerald Lotus**


	2. Chapter 2

Drip. Drip. Drip. That simple sound echoed around me, exploding and created crashing wavesaA of pain inside my skull. I couldn't move my body except for breathing, but even that felt like a struggle. So, apparently I wasn't dead, but it sure felt like it. Yet what exactly happened to bring me to this state, I wasn't quite sure. My memory was fuzzy, like I had just woken up from being on anesthetic.

I willed my eyes open, I had to figure out what had happened. And what I found was very surprising, and unpleasant. I was inside a cell as someone's prisoner; my hands were suspended above my head by energy cuffs. No wonder I couldn't feel them, or move for that matter. All the blood had run from the making them numb. Okay, so that obviously wasn't a good thing. I needed to figure a way out of here, before something worse happened.

I scanned the room trying to configure some kind of plan. It wasn't very big, about the size of a large closet. It was pretty dark too, the only light came from a slit in what was most likely the door, and the faint glow from the energy cuffs around my wrists. The walls were rough, maybe some kind of rock from what I could tell. Ugh, where the heck am I? I sighed out loud; frustrated at the situation I was in. That turned out not to be such a good idea because then there was movement outside of the cell. Oh great, I called attention upon myself. At least I would get to see who my captors were.

The door slid open, and light flooded into the room. I blinked at first, the brightness stimulating my migraine, but then the large raptor-like creature standing in the doorway caught my attention. It swayed on its feet, its talons clicking against the floor. I gasped as the fight in the desert had suddenly come rushing back to my mind. The aliens from another dimension, the robed ones calling out orders, the stupid overgrown lizards surrounding us, and finally my shoulder being sliced into by those long reptilian teeth.

The alien walked over and reached toward me. I flinched unintentionally. Except instead of biting me, like I had feared, it released the energy cuffs from my wrists. My arms fell limply to my side. My right shoulder felt like it was on fire from the movement, I suppressed a groan.

There was only one guard. If I could just go hero, maybe I could escape from here. I glanced at the Ultimatrix. Unfortunately, these guys already thought of that. There was manacle of sorts covering the dial of the Ultimatrix, so that I couldn't activate it.

"Stand," the lizard commanded. It sounded more like a hiss, but was still recognizable as a word.

I tried to move. I wanted to see the rest of…wherever I was. However, the rest of my body had a different idea. I attempted to push myself up, but my arms and legs wouldn't coordinate together.

"Quickly, human," the reptile impatiently grabbed my arm and hoisted me up. Dizziness flooded through me, making my vision tilt drastically. "Move," the alien prodded from behind, which only served to worsen the pain my body was in.

I clumsily made my way out of the small chamber. My legs threatened to give way at any moment. I held my bitten arm closer to my body. It hurt when jostled too much. I was probably going to need a trip to the Emergency Room, seeing the amount of blood that stained my jacket. Well, that was if I ever got out of here. Oh man, how was I going to explain that one to my folks? They already worried about me when I was just doing minor Plumber jobs, getting abducted was going to give them a heart attack.

As the overgrown reptile led me away from the cell, and down a long hallway, I noticed that it looked rather high tech. The hall was also darker than I had originally anticipated. I guess sitting in the dark for so long caused any light source to seem overbearingly bright. These creatures were most likely nocturnal, considering they attacked at night. So it was possible that I was on their ship, but I couldn't tell if it was moving or not. That was the strange thing with space travel, unless you were hit by an asteroid or you go through a jump gate, it doesn't feel like you're moving. Yet with each step it felt like my world was about to be flipped upside down, like a capsized ship.

"Faster," my escort grumbled. He pushed me forward, and I arched my back away from its touch. My back was still in agony from the assault I faced earlier. It might even be bleeding still, but I couldn't tell.

We reached the end of the hall where a door was. It opened upon our approach, and two more of the raptor-like aliens were waiting behind it. When I reached them, they grabbed both of wrists, and pulled me along toward a silver slab. It looked frighteningly similar to an operating table. Warning signals were going off in my head like fireworks, and I weakly pulled against their grip. However, I had lost too much blood, and didn't even make them flinch.

The two tossed me up on the table, I moaned at the rough movement. They then proceeded to shackle my arms, and legs to the table. This was bad. The table rotated, so that it was now vertical, and I was face to face with the robed aliens who were also in the desert. There were actually six total now that I could see them more clearly.

"Can I help you?" I asked. My voice was raspy, and I realized I really needed something to drink. So that got me thinking…how long have they had me?

"Silence," one of the aliens ordered. His words were clearer than the raptors, but were still just as grating. "You have something that we, The Council, want."

"Isn't that always the case?" I rolled my eyes. That was a bad idea, because an electric shock traced up the back of the table, and zapped me. I gritted my teeth, but didn't cry out.

"Be quiet, human," the Councilman said. In his paper white hand was a remote device, hand his finger hovered over one of the buttons. "You will only speak when told."

I glared at them in response. The raptors, which were obviously the guards, were laughing at me.

A Councilman walked over to my left side. "We need access to your Omnitrix, but cannot remove it. Tell us how."

"This is the Ultimatrix, and it's stuck on my wrist," I answered. Well that's typical. Of course they wanted the Ultimatrix. Sometimes that thing gave more trouble than it's worth. "I can't take it off, and even if I could I wouldn't give it to you," I answered. Wrong move, another jolt of electricity coursed through my body. It was longer than the last one.

"Then tell us how to operate it," the Councilman with the remote sneered.

"F-Fine, take t-the manacle off, and I'll tell you," maybe then I could trick them into activating Humungousaur, and free myself form this godforsaken place.

The lead Councilman nodded at the one next to me, and he removed the restraint. "Speak, human."

"W-what does it matter, it's not like it'll benefit you."

"Tell us!" The leader shouted.

"Fine… press the outer metal ring. The hologram selector will pop up," the councilmen did so and Waterhazard's hologram appeared. "Great, now push down on it."

"No, then you will transform. We do not wish for that to happen." The alien continued to play with the Ultimatrix, until it beeped a series of threes times.

"Security lock malfunction. Release imminent," the Ultimatrix computerized voice droned. Oh crap! "Twenty-six percent complete." The aliens around me started getting anxious, mumbling amongst each other. Is that what they wanted? How could they even know what the security lock pertained to?

"No! Omnitrix, voice command mode. Emergency override," the energy current started back up again. It was much more intense than the last, but I couldn't let the Ultimatrix release the security lock. "User code…ten. Lock six, one...six, zero, six, three."

"Security reinstated," said the Ultimatrix, and the dial receded back into place

The electrical current once again stopped. "No matter, we shall do it again," the leader stated, a smug (if you could call it that) expression on his pale face.

"And I'll…just stop you again," I panted.

"You can try, but you will eventually lose."

"That's what you think," I said, bluffing. But it really was only a matter of time. I couldn't keep this up for much longer. My body was running purely on adrenaline now.

"Intruder Alert!" someone yelled, unexpectedly. Then blaring alarms began to ring throughout the room. And even though they drove my migraine to epic proportions, never have I been so pleased to hear those two words.

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**I've been working on this chapter since Saturday! I'm really loving this story so far, and hopefully everyone who reads it likes it as well. Thanks for the reviews on the previous chapter. They really made my day! So please leave a review on chapter two, and constructive criticism is welcomed.**

**Thanks,  
Emerald Lotus**


	3. Chapter 3

The intruder alarm caused a frenzy to break out on the ship. I was grateful for the distraction, but it didn't do me any good since I was still strapped to the electric… board. I had to think fast. What could I do to get out of here?

A Councilman called over two of the reptilian guards. They came over and bowed their heads. "Take him back to the cell," he instructed. The guards bowed again and the Councilman rushed out of the room.

The guards released the restraints around my arms and legs. Unfortunately the board was still vertical, and I flopped ungracefully to the ground. I landed on my hands and knees; my body was trembling from the shock treatment I had just endured. A rumble came from their throats as they laughed at me.

"Pitiful," one of them hissed. The other snorted, and they began to drag me across the floor toward door we first entered through.

"Surprising such a weak creature has been able to protect the universe," they taunted.

"Thanks," I croaked back.

"It was not a compliment."

"I know...but," I smiled at them and twisted my left hand slightly. The familiar green flash of the Ultimatrix filled the hall, and my body instantly melted from their grasp as Goop was activated. "You left the manacle off."

The guards roared at me and charged. I countered by shooting them with some acid. It wasn't enough to kill them, but it would definitely hurt like heck. They screeched as the acid sizzled on their skin. I didn't look, or care. I just fled down the hall.

For the moment I was free, but I didn't have much time until the Ultimatrix changed me back to human. I was weakened, and I knew the transformation wouldn't last long. Fortunately Goop didn't use much energy to move since he had an anti-gravity disk. I got lucky he was the first one who popped up when I was playing with the Ultimatrix after being released from the torture table. But even though I was able to escape from the guards, I was blind navigating through the halls. I had no idea which direction would take me to the exit, or an escape pod, or straight back into the arms of the enemy.

So I just went down random hallways, hoping one would eventually lead me somewhere useful. I went left, then right about twelve times. There were so many turns I was getting dizzy. All the halls looked the same, how did these guys navigate through their own ship? I was about to turn down another corridor, but then I caught sight of some guards. They were coming my way fast, but I knew they couldn't see me. I was so low to the ground, I was practically a puddle. I still didn't want to take any chances so I went in the opposite direction. And then someone stepped on me. They slipped and smacked into the wall.

"These guys don't do a very good job of cleaning up after themselves," the person complained. I knew that voice. It was Kevin!

Gwen came after him, and grabbed his arm to help him. "Quick, get up! They're gaining on us, and we still have to get Ben."

"Wait, doesn't that green glob look familiar," Kevin pointed at me.

I shifted into a more humanoid shape. "Hey," I said. "I'm glad you ran into me," I laughed a little. It might have been a lame joke, but I was relieved to see them.

"Ben!" they said in unison.

"You're okay." Gwen stated.

"N-no, actually I'm a wreck. I had to escape, so I activated the Ultimatrix. But I don't have much energy or time left," I panted. Goop didn't need to breathe, but suddenly I was having trouble getting the words out.

"Well, let's get this little reunion moving. The Rust Bucket is on auto-pilot set to trail this ship." Kevin got up from the floor, and moved toward an empty hall. "This way."

"How do you know?" I asked.

"I hacked their blueprints," Gwen answered.

"We've got an entire map of their ship. There are escape pods up ahead," Kevin added.

We silently moved along the dim corridor for another thirty seconds. Then a very unwanted voice called out. "Cycling to recharge mode," the Ultimatrix chimed.

"Ah, no," but it was too late. I reverted back to human, and my knees instantly gave way. I dropped like a brick to the floor. All of the pain came flooding back, and to top it off I was having trouble breathing. Awesome, now I was completely useless.

Gwen gasped, startled at my condition. Kevin leaned down and carefully lifted my left shoulder over his. "Come on, hero. We're getting out of here," he picked me up, and supported my weight

"Thanks."

They were silent as we maneuvered through the halls. I counted each hallway as we went through. I was trying to keep focused on something other the agony my body was in.

"How much further?" I whispered.

Gwen looked at me."Two more halls."

"Good," I was starting to feel tired. The adrenaline rush was fading; I knew I was going to pass out any minute now.

"Crap," Kevin said abruptly. We had reached the last hall, but there were guards waiting for us. Along with two of the Councilmen.

"Surrender him to us, intruders," said a Councilman, pointing one of his boney fingers at me.

"Sorry, he has other plans," Kevin retorted.

The Councilmen motioned for the guards to attack. Some ran straight at us, while others turned invisible. Suddenly Kevin was shoved forward, and I was thrown to the ground. I landed on my right shoulder, and needless to say it hurt a lot. Today just wasn't my day.

"Sorry," Kevin mumbled quickly. He absorbed some of the floor to make armor, and punched one of the guards. I was surprised by his apology. That was a hard thing to get out of Kevin, unless he was speaking to Gwen. I pushed myself against the wall. Already out of breath from the minor movement. This sucked! I couldn't do anything except watch the fight.

"Enough," Gwen shouted. She launched forward, her mana disks flying everywhere. She hit guard after guard in a fury of pink bolts. Kevin helped me up once more, and darted through the opening Gwen had created. There was an escape pod behind the guards. We all got inside, and Kevin began pushing buttons. The door shut and those relentless reptiles began pounding at it, trying to get to us. The pod released and we were shuttled out of the ship. I breathed a sigh of relief, not realizing I had been holding my breath the entire time. At last, I was safe.

I could see the Rust Bucket waiting for us in the distance. Kevin took a remote of his pocket, and pushed one of the buttons. The cargo hatch opened and the escape pod was directed inside.

"Ben, are you up to one more move?" Gwen asked. "I want to look at your wounds."

"Yeah," I was so exhausted; I could barely form words anymore. Kevin helped me out of the small craft, and over to one of the long benches on the side of the cargo bay. He helped me sit down, and Gwen brought over a first aid kit.

"Ah," Kevin said startled.

"What?" Gwen asked, preoccupied with getting out some gauze and anti-septic.

"Blood," Kevin held up his hand to her. It was stained red.

Gwen got up and pulled off my jacket, to look at my back. I knew it had been cut, but I didn't think it was terribly serious. "Geez, Ben you should have said something."

"Sorry, I forgot about it."

"You've lost a lot of blood. You're entire shirt is soaked with it." Gwen turned to Kevin. "He needs to go to the hospital."

"On it," Kevin ran to the cockpit to change our course.

Gwen set to work too. "Your t-shirt needs to come off."

"Okay, just cut it off," I've seen people in medical shows do it all the time to get to the wounds quicker.

"Good idea," she grabbed some scissors. Her fingers fumbled with them, and I could see that she was nervous. She took a deep breath to calm herself, and then started to cut the fabric. Afterward she pulled the shirt away, so she could see my wounds clearly. "Oh…" was all she said. She reached for the anti-septic, and a cloth to pour it into. "This is probably going to sting a lot," Gwen warned. She began cleaning the bite on my shoulder. And she was right, it stung. I clenched my teeth together, not wanting to cry out.

"How bad is my shoulder?" I managed to ask.

"The punctures don't go all the way through, but some of them may need stitches," Gwen grabbed the gauze and began to wrap it. "This should keep it clean until we get to the hospital. Now I need to see you back."

I shifted slightly, just enough so she could see. "What happened to my back?" I asked. It's not like I could see it, so naturally I was curious.

"There are three long gashes from those aliens claws," she put more anti-septic on the wounds. "But it's not bleeding as much as I thought. It must have started clotting."

"Ow," I moaned, as she wiped my the scratches. "Should've warned me."

"Sorry," she said quickly. She followed through with the same procedure as my shoulder; cleaning the injury, and wrapping it with gauze. "You can lay down now, I'm done."

My eyes were already closed, as she helped me lie down. It still hurt a lot to move; my muscles ached every time I was shifted. But it was a little better now that I was here. "Thanks," I murmured.

"Sure, but don't go to sleep yet. Try to stay awake," I felt her hand stroke my hair.

"But…I'm tired," I said. Gwen said something else, but her words faded, like my consciousness. And I sank into the calm of the black abyss once more.

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**Well here's chapter three. Many thanks to everyone who reviewed on the last chapter. I really, really appreciate it. I hope to see your reviews for this chapter as well. :)**

**Thanks,  
Emerald Lotus**


	4. Chapter 4

It was dark, but that may be because my eyes were closed. I was asleep a moment ago, and dreaming. Although what my dream was about, I can't recall. Now I was hovering on the verge of consciousness. I was almost awake, but I wasn't quite aware of my surroundings yet.

As I was coming to I could start to hear a rhythmic electronic beep, and a slow, almost silent dripping sound. It was comforting in a way, but I couldn't quite place what the sound belonged to. Then I could feel my body, and well...all I could think was what hit me? I felt like I had just been hit by a car, rolled over by a bus, and then pushed out of an airplane only to land without a parachute. I wasn't in any real pain, but I was immensely sore, my head was buzzing slightly, and I couldn't move.

I opened my eyes only to be assaulted with a blindingly sterile white. It was so bright I immediately closed them against the offensive light. I waited a moment this time bracing myself, and opened my eyes again. I blinked a couple of times to clear my vision, and found myself to be lying in a bed. It was obvious that I was in a hospital room.

I looked around the small room. There was a heart monitor and an IV drip to my right. A window with the blinds open and I could see it was day outside. My room was empty, but it looked like someone had been in here recently. There were candy wrappers, and Styrofoam cups on top of the little table in the corner. But other than that there were no other signs of life. I could hear people out in the hallway though. I tried to get up, so I could get a better view out of the window in the door. However I couldn't move my arms. I started to panic a little, and then I looked down at my wrists. They were strapped to the bed. What the heck was that about? Was I still in enemy hands? I tried to free myself, straining my arms against the straps, but it was no use. My body was weak and tired.

I huffed and lay back against my pillow trying to figure out what was going on. Then the door knob moved slowly, and opened. I waited hoping that I would see someone human rather than reptilian. Thankfully, Gwen and Kevin were at the door. I breathed a sigh of relief. The two were whispering to each other but I couldn't understand what they were saying.

"Come on, Gwen. Go already," Kevin said loud enough so I could hear. He nudged Gwen's shoulder to get her to move.

Gwen walked in reluctantly, and kept her eyes glued to the floor. She went over to the small coffee table and took a seat in one of the chairs. She didn't look up. Why was she acting so weird? I wanted to say something, to ask her, but when I opened my mouth no words came out. I could feel that my throat was dry. How long had it been since I had water last?

I shifted a little in the bed, but couldn't really move that much because of the restraints. Kevin saw my movement as he walked past and stopped.

"Hey, Tennyson."

"Hey," I replied, or tried to but it sounded more like rocks in a blender.

"Ben, you're awake!" Gwen ran over to my side and hugged me. It hurt a little, but I didn't mind.

"Water?"

Kevin handed Gwen a cup that was on the nightstand, and I took a sip through the straw. It was the best thing I have ever tasted. The water felt so good as it soothed my throat. It was almost better than a smoothie.

"Thanks," the words came out much easier this time, and they sounded less grated.

"You're welcome," Gwen smiled.

"Could you explain this please?" I tried to hold up my wrists. Kevin laughed slightly, and Gwen frowned at him.

"You were going berserk," Kevin said.

"What do you mean?" I asked. I didn't remember doing anything, but then again the last thing I remember was being on the Rust Bucket.

"You were hallucinating because of a fever, but you kept trying to activate the Ultimatrix," Gwen explained as she unbuckled the straps. "So the doctors had to strap you down."

"It was probably from being electrocuted."

"What?" Gwen and Kevin both looked at me. I guess I forgot to mention that part.

"Those aliens electrocuted me because I wasn't giving them the answers they wanted."

"What did they want from you?" Kevin asked.

"I don't know. The Ultimatrix, or use of it. They almost released the security lock," I told them.

"So they knew what they were doing."Gwen stated. "It wasn't a random attack."

"Well, did you find out where they're from? That might help figure out what they want." I asked.

"The ALDB is running through the lists now. We have to narrow it down. It should tell us soon enough," Kevin replied.

"Okay," I yawned. "How long have I been in here?" I looked to Gwen, but she was looking out the window.

Kevin answered. "Three days."

"That long, huh? I wish I could have a smoothie."

"Do you ever stop thinking of those things?" Gwen asked. She seemed to lighten up a little. "I'll go ask someone about it, okay?" she said and left the room.

"What's bothering her?" I asked Kevin once she left.

"You," he answered. "You being here...like that," he gestured to me.

"It's not like I could help the situation. It's not my fault."

"Yeah we know, but..."Kevin let out a frustrated sigh. "Dude, you flat lined the first day we got you here. You scared her because they almost called a time of death, but then your heart started again."

"I almost died?" I couldn't believe it. It seemed so surreal, because I had no idea. I guess that's why the heart monitor sounded so comforting to me when I first woke up.

"Yeah, and that's why Gwen is acting like that. And so help me if you ever do that again I'll be the one to kill you."

I laughed. "Thanks for caring."

"Has something liked this happened before?" Kevin asked suddenly.

"You could say that. Although not as severe, but I was hospitalized a few years ago," I answered. I shuddered to think about it.

"What hap—"Kevin was cut off when Gwen and an older nurse came back into the room.

"Hello, Mr. Tennyson. How are you feeling?" the nurse asked.

"I'm a little sore. My shoulder is starting to hurt," I told her.

"I'm not surprised. We had to give you around thirty stitches in your shoulder. Your back wasn't as bad as we initially thought, so we used the medical glue to seal the cuts. You've also had a blood transfusion."

Geez, lady. That was a lot of information to take in so suddenly, so I responded with an "Oh."

"Hm, maybe I should get you some more morphine," the nurse said, and she walked out of the room before I had time to react.

"I don't want that stuff. I just woke up, and I still have questions," I complained.

"It will make you feel better," Gwen said.

"But I'm fine…really," but I couldn't convince her as I winced a little.

"Dude, you're not exactly fine."

"Shut up," I said. The nurse promptly returned with a small bottle filled with clear liquid, and a syringe. I frowned. I just woke up, and I wasn't ready to sleep again but the stupid pain killers would knock me out in less than a minute.

The nurse filled the syringe, squirted it to get rid of any air bubbles, and then pushed the plunger into the IV. Within seconds I could feel that the drugs were starting to wriggle their way into my system.

"Hey Gwen," I whispered. "I'm sorry for scaring you earlier."

Her eyes widened as she realized what I was referring to. Then she relaxed and said, "Just don't do it again." I nodded and slowly drifted off to sleep courtesy of the pain killers.

It wasn't a very peaceful sleep though because the next thing I saw was a very strange, and it could only be explained as a dream. Or more accurately a nightmare. I was in a room. It was dark except for a light bulb hanging over head, dimly lighting the otherwise pitch-black room. Then there was a mirror directly across from me, but for whatever reason I didn't want to get close to it. There was something ominous about it, and I felt like if I got too close something bad would happen. So I just stayed put, but I was still able to see my reflection in the mirror. And boy did I look terrible.

My eyes had dark circles under them like I hadn't slept in years, my cheeks were sunken in, and my fingers were mostly bone covered with skin. I looked like death walking. Alarmed, I touched my own face, and the mirror mimicked me. Yet thankfully my own face felt the same as it always did. What was going on?

"You're going to fall, Benjamin!" the mirror me grinned. I jumped back as he spoke, and the mirror laughed. "It's only a matter of time," he snickered. It was a sickening sound, it made my skin crawl.

"Shut up!" I shouted.

"You're a failure, Benjamin," the mirror mocked. "You can't do a single thing right. You screw up everything!"

I clapped my hands over my ears. The reflection horrified me. He sounded just like I did, but at the same time it was completely different. He was more sinister, and I couldn't listen to another word. Why couldn't I be back in the hospital?

"Very soon you will be destroyed." He laughed, and the mirror shattered. His image was gone but the words still existed. "Very soon," his words echoed inside my skull. It was like ice had run the trail of my spine, and I shivered against the chill. I shut my eyes tight trying to block out his taunts. But the words just kept coming, surrounding me, and there was no exit in sight.

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**I apologize for the long wait. My spring semester just started a few days ago, and I've been extremely busy. Anyway, thanks for the great reviews. I really appreciate it. I hope you enjoyed this chapter too!**


	5. Chapter 5

I woke suddenly from my nightmare. One moment I was in that dark place, listening to my mirror image, and then I was in my hospital bed. It was disorienting, and I could feel my heart racing from the sudden change.

"Ben, what's wrong?" Gwen asked. She was sitting in a chair at the end of my bed. The heart monitor had picked up the fast paced beat and alerted Gwen to my distress.

"N-nothing, I just had a nightmare," I told her, releasing a breath I didn't realize I was holding in. I tried to settle down and relaxed back into the pillows. I had to remind myself that it was just a dream, it wasn't real.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"I actually can't remember any of it now. It's no big deal," I said. But it wasn't true. I could remember every detail, and it sent a shiver up my spine. I just didn't feel like reliving the details right now. "How long was I asleep?" I asked trying to change the subject. I could see that the sun was still out so it couldn't have been that long.

"You slept through the night," she said. I wasn't expecting to hear that. "It's about one o'clock now.

"Oh wow, I thought it was only a few hours," I muttered, and glanced around the room. I noticed the absence of one of my friends. "Where's Kevin?"

"He went home. He needed some sleep and he said he was going to check the database for the aliens," Gwen explained.

"Oh, right. I almost forgot about them," If it hadn't been for Gwen and Kevin I would still be trapped on their ship being tortured. "How did you guys even find me?"

"We followed their ship. Kevin had damaged their inter-dimensional portal right after they took you away. So the only way they could return to their dimension was to go into space and warp-drive their ship and activate it that way."

"So you caught up to them then," I finished her sentence. She nodded, and then it was silent for a few minutes. It was almost awkward, but neither one of us knew what to say next. So I started with the first thing I could think of. "Thanks for rescuing me," I said finally.

Gwen smiled softly. "You're welcome, of course. Just please try not to let anything happen like that again. I can't stand to see you in a hospital bed, especially since…" she trailed off, not able to finish talking but I knew what she was thinking about.

"It's only been about two times…if you don't count the times I've had to come in for stitches," I said in a failed attempt to lighten the atmosphere.

"Ben," Gwen snapped. She looked at me so seriously; I couldn't do anything but stare back at her. "Don't treat this as a joke. You've been in here twice and almost died twice! You had that really bad allergic reaction four years ago to peanuts. Not to mention the other incident with…_him_. He almost took the Omnitrix, along with your life. And now just a few days ago I thought I was going to lose you again."

"I'm sorry," I whispered. She was right to be upset, and I would be too if our roles were reversed. "I don't want to upset you and I'm truly sorry for making you worry over me, but this is just how my life is now. It's a dangerous existence, and I'm going to be beaten up once in a while. But it's thanks to you and everyone else that I'm able to make it through each day to fight another battle."

"Ben…I know. I just care about you, and I hate seeing you in pain. So please, just try to be more careful," she got up from her seat and walked over toward me. She stood on the side of the bed for a moment, and then she leaned down and gently gave me a hug.

"Thanks Gwen, for being here for me," I said carefully wrapping my arms around her. After a minute I let go, and she sat up.

"I was talking to a nurse when you were sleeping earlier. She said that you could be released the day after tomorrow if everything looks good," Gwen smiled, and I was happy to hear the news. I hated being here as much as Gwen hated seeing me here. It was nothing but bad memories really of past mistakes, and current ones.

"That's great," I responded. "I can't wait to go home. By the way, how are my mom and dad taking this? I haven't heard from them."

Gwen looked down at the floor. "I haven't exactly told them yet. They think we're off planet on a Plumber mission, and I told them we wouldn't be able to contact them for a few days because of the law."

I raised an eyebrow, curious. "What law?"

"Um, the one I made up. I told them that because we were assigned a mission, that they would interfere if they were to have any contact.

"Why'd you do that?" I asked. My parents always freaked out a bit when I went off world, but I wasn't even in space now. I was in Bellwood, right under their noses, and they didn't even know. I didn't want my parents worried sick about me and not able to come and visit if they wanted.

"Because you were in such a bad state, and I didn't want them to see their only son in pain. Aunt Sandra loves you so much…it would have broken her heart to see you stitched up and in a hospital bed."

I sighed. I guess I could understand that sort of logic, after all it was Gwen. She only did things she thought was necessary to the situation. "Fine, I get it. Thanks for thinking about them, but I'm going to have to explain my appearance eventually."

"Yeah, again I'm really sorry."

Suddenly the door of the hospital room opened, and Kevin walked in. "Hey, how's it going?" he greeted.

"Uh, good I suppose."

"You still look like crap," Kevin said.

I rolled my eyes. "Thanks for the compliment."

"But I was able to smuggle this in for you. Here," Kevin held out a smoothie cup toward me. I couldn't believe he actually went out and bought me one. It was very unlike him, but I wasn't going to question his generosity so I took the cup from him happily.

"Oh man, thanks Kevin!" I took a small sip, and then put the cup down on the table. "So did anything come up on the ALDB yet?"

"Oh yeah about that…I got an I.D confirmation on the dudes that abducted you. That's why I came over here."

"So…where are they from?" I asked. I just wanted answers; why did they want the Ultimatrix so badly?

Kevin frowned, and looked to Gwen and then finally to me. He huffed, "It's not good news."

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**Okay, I decided I should probably give this story some love since I've been neglecting it for months. I sorry for the lack of updates on this to all of the readers. I appreciate the reviews on this so far, and the many favorites and alerts. I will try to keep updates on this a little more frequent from now on. Thanks for reading, I hope you like this as well! **


	6. Chapter 6

Anur Phaetos. The words should be unknown to me, to any human, but I was all too familiar with them. I couldn't get the words out of my mind. They were embedded into my train of thought, derailing any others thoughts I might have had. The words took over my conscious mind with a vice grip the instant Kevin said them. It was a good thing I was in the hospital because I think my heart just stopped. I could feel my face drain of any color it once held, and my breath hitched in my chest. I couldn't believe what Kevin had just told me. It couldn't be true, I didn't want it to be true, but from the look on his face I knew that this was no joke.

"A-are you sure?" I managed to ask one more time. I could barely get the words out. My mind was going into a shutdown.

Kevin crossed his arms, and stood up straight, as if he were standing his ground. He nodded before he spoke. "Yeah, I'm sure. I saw them with my own eyes, and the database picture confirms it."

I took a shuddering breath, and closed my eyes. I needed to calm down or I would draw unwanted attention from the nurses. Crap, this was not good.

"Ben, it will be okay," Gwen said. I knew she was trying to comfort me, but I could hear the fear in her voice too. She was just as scared as I was. This was not your every day alien invasion. This was something much worse…the things nightmares are made of. The things _my_ nightmares were made of.

"Those aliens…are they still here?" I asked Kevin.

"I don't know. They were trying to jump dimensions, but since we got you back there's a possibility that they're still in our galaxy," Kevin explained.

I groaned. "Great." I leaned back into my pillows, and closed my eyes. I tried to organize my thoughts, but they were completely jumbled. What was I suppose to do with this information? It was obvious now why the aliens had come to Earth.

"Okay, I don't get it," Kevin said. "You're freaking out…which I guess I sort of get, but why? We know how these guys work and if they come back we'll just kick their butts again."

"It's not them I'm worried about," I tilted my head to look at him.

"Then what is it?"

"Kevin," Gwen spoke up. "I don't think now is the best time to talk about this."

"Talk about what? What's the problem here?" Kevin asked. I could hear the annoyance in his voice. He wasn't getting answers, and it was aggravating him.

"I'm worried about what they were after," I answered. They both looked at me, but I laid back down and chose to stare at the ceiling instead.

"The Ultimatrix? But they can't get it off of you," Kevin reasoned.

"Yeah I know that. Their after what's inside of it," I said. "They almost got it too. If I hadn't been able to stop them…who knows what would have happened."

"What do you mean, Ben?" Gwen asked.

I sighed. "They almost…released Ghostfreak."

"How did they even know he was there?" Gwen said.

"I'm not sure, but it couldn't have been hard to find out."

"So what's the big deal? He's locked up now, and those other guys can't get him," Kevin said.

I looked back at Kevin and Gwen. "The big deal is last time he was lose he took over my body and almost killed both of you. It was my fault and I underestimated him. I don't want that to happen again. It was a close call last time; I can't take any chances with him. Ghostfreak is dangerous."

They both fell silent as I finished speaking. Gwen looked like she wanted to say something, but she chose not to. Kevin looked at the floor, unsure of how to respond. The silence remained as Kevin and Gwen stood awkwardly in front of my bed.

"Okay," Kevin said breaking the silence. "I get it. The dude is seriously freaky, and we don't want him getting out. So, what are you planning to do about it?"

"I don't know," I said shaking my head. What could we do about it? In my current state I couldn't even fight off a puppy, let alone a legion of reptilian soldiers and their psycho Councilmen.

"We'll call Azmuth," Gwen said. "Once you're released from the hospital. He might be able to help us with Ghostfreak. He can fix the lock or something, maybe even remove him entirely from the watch."

Gwen was cut off as the bedroom door abruptly swung open. It was one of the nurses who came to check on me every couple of hours. I grimaced when I saw the drugs she carried with her on a small silver platter.

"I'm sorry to interrupt, but Mr. Tennyson needs his rest," the nurse said to Kevin and Gwen. She tried to say it politely, but there was a twinge of annoyance in her voice.

"I feel fine," I lied. I was actually far from fine. My body ached, and my head was spinning with all of the new facts added to the case of my abduction. "Let them stay please."

"I'm sorry, but this is for your own good, dear," She said, and began to fill up the syringe with liquid. "They can come back in a few hours, okay?"

The nurse didn't wait for my reply. She released the fluid into the I.V. and I immediately felt its effects. The morphine began to set in and I was having difficulty focusing. "W-wait, I still need them," I said. My voice was thick, and it was hard to speak.

"I'll be here when you wake up again. Everything will be okay," I could hear Gwen say softly.

I nodded absently. Gwen attempted to reassure me, but as I slipped steadily into unconsciousness I still couldn't get past the fact that these aliens were from Anur Phaetos. They had a purpose, they knew what they wanted, and they were not going to stop until they got what they came for.

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**I am so sorry for the long wait on this chapter, but many thanks to all of my readers for the lovely reviews on this story so far. They are always so kind and I love reading them. I'm happy to hear that people are enjoying this story.  
**


	7. Chapter 7

Now I could officially say that I hate hospitals, and it's not just a simple dislike. No, it's a burning passion. I've been trapped in this white, sterile hole for…I don't know exactly how many days, but I've had enough. Each day passes in a cycle. Gwen comes for a visit, sometimes bringing Kevin along; we talk and discuss our plans to stay out of sight of those aliens if they show up. And really that's all I can think of any way. The aliens have consumed my thoughts. What are they plotting, why do they want Ghostfreak so badly, and how did they find out he was locked away in the Ultimatrix? I talked about these things with Gwen and Kevin each day until we couldn't anymore. The nurse would always come in during a crucial part in our conversation, and give me another dose of drugs whether I needed it or not. She claimed that if I slept my body would heal faster. That may be true, but she had no idea what she was sending me to.

With every drug induced sleep, I became trapped in that dark, decaying room. My mirror image is there always talking and whispering degrading things to me. I try to ignore him, but I can't. His voice seeps through the cracks when I close off my ears to him. And finally when I think I'm going to crack, I'm thrust into the land of the waking.

I should probably be worried about these nightmares, but honestly they're nothing new. Ever since I found the Omnitrix six years ago I occasionally have terrible dreams. Even though these ones are worse than others, and becoming more frequent I can't really do anything about it.

To say the least this cycle was getting frustrating. Yet luckily, a few days had passed since I first woke up, and the possibility of me finally getting out of this dreadful place was looking good. Gwen wasn't in the room yet when I woke, so I waited until someone dropped by. Unfortunately when the door opened it wasn't who I was expecting to see.

The elderly nurse who has been taking care of me recently came into the room. She gave me a stiff smile. I gathered from her past visits that she isn't too fond of me. She must watch that crap television with Will Harangue.

"Morning, Mr. Tennyson," she said. "How are you feeling today?"

"Better," I answered. The less I had to talk to her, the happier I would be.

"Good. Now I need you to sit up straight so I can check all of your vitals correctly, okay?" I nodded and the bed mechanically began to rise, pushing me upwards. Once I was sitting up straight she took my blood pressure, recorded my pulse from the heart monitor, and a few other preliminary screenings you normally get in a doctor's office.

"Well, you do seem to be in a much healthier state than when you first arrived. I'll fetch the doctor to look at you one last time, and then you can be discharged from the hospital this afternoon." She told me, and then left the room.

I smiled a little. I could finally get out of here and go home. As I waited for the doctor to come, Gwen arrived with Kevin.

"Hey, why do you look so happy?" Kevin questioned.

"I'm supposed to be discharged today," I told him.

"That's good, but how do you feel?" Gwen asked.

"I'm okay. I'm a little tired and sore, but that's to be expected," I told them.

Gwen smiled happily. "I'm glad to hear that."

"So anything to report today?" I asked. Kevin kept the sensors on alert for the alien's ship in case it came anywhere near Earth.

"Nope. Either we scared them off, or they're staying away for some other reason. But they haven't been anywhere close to Earth."

"Good," I said. I probably should have been relieved to hear that, but it had the opposite effect. It put me on edge. I knew they wouldn't give up. They were from Anur Phaetos…the planet where the most stubborn of creatures come from. They were definitely plotting something, gaining an edge, or waiting for an opening to appear.

"Ah, Mr. Tennyson," I was shoved from my thoughts as the doctor entered the room. "You do look increasingly better today. How do you feel?"

Man, I know the question is standard to ask, but if I hear it one more time I was gonna pop. "I'm fine, doctor."

"Good, good. Your vitals look fine according to your charts. Lean forward, please so that I can check your stitches," the doctor instructed. I moved forward the best I could in my position. He pulled down the shoulder of my hospital gown, and put his fingers to my skin.

"Ow," I said when he poked a little too hard. I tried to pull away, but he was holding onto me.

"Sorry, the wound is healing, but the skin is still really sensitive. The wound on your back is looking better as well," the doctor moved away from me, and I sat back against the pillows.

"Can I go home or not?" I asked, getting straight to the point.

"I don't see why not. You'll have to be on bed rest for a few weeks, that means no strenuous activity, or gallivanting around the city with those aliens of yours," the doctor gave me a slight smile. "If you take it easy you'll heal very nicely."

"Great thanks," I said.

The doctor at last removed the I.V. from my arm, and put a bandage over the spot. That was going make a nice bruise in a few hours.

"I'll send the paperwork to the front desk, and you can go sign out when you're ready. Be careful from now on, Mr. Tennyson," the doctor concluded, and then he was gone out the door.

"Well, that's a relief," Gwen said.

"Yeah. Can you hand me my clothes, please?" I asked her. A few days ago Gwen had brought me my spare clothes that I kept at her house for when I got released. She got up and handed them to me.

I gently got up from the bed. It was a little bit of a struggle. My body was still weak, I had only gotten up to use the restroom. I walked into the small bathroom and changed into my jeans, and t-shirt. That was definitely a struggle. I had to move my body so that I could accompany my injury, and not hurt myself further. Although after I finished I walked back into the main room.

Gwen had called for a nurse to escort me down to the lobby. I had forgotten that it was policy for all hospital residents to leave being led out in a wheelchair…legal rules or something like that. Anyway, a new nurse came in and I sat down in the chair. This one actually seemed nicer than the first one, probably because she was younger. She smiled and a I smiled back.

Once we got to the front desk, she leaned down next to me. "I'm big fan, you know. I'm glad to see that you're doing better."

"Oh, um thanks," I said.

She winked at me and walked away. I heard Kevin snickering behind me, but I ignored him for now. Knowing him he would bring it up once we got outside.

The secretary at the desk gave me the paperwork to sign, and once I signed about ten signatures I was free to go. Gwen took over direction of the wheelchair, and Kevin went out to pull his car up to the front lot.

As we approached the doors I could see the well-known green car come into view. I smiled at the familiarity of the sight, although I would be even happier if it was my car. I got out of the wheelchair as we came up to the automatic doors, and slowly hobbled my way outside. My movements were stiff…almost laughable if you didn't know I was injured, but I laughed anyway.

"I'm like an old man," I said to Gwen, but apparently Kevin had heard me too.

Gwen giggled as Kevin shouted. "Well get in the car, Grandpa."

I walked out into the bright afternoon sun. It was exceedingly brilliant compared to the awful fluorescent lights I had gotten used to and also quite warm, but it felt good. I had been locked inside a dark dungeon in outer-space and then trapped in a hospital bed for well over a week. It was a definitely a refreshing sight to see the blue sky. And I felt the paranoia that had been building up in me ease away a little.

I got into the backseat of the car, and sighed. Maybe I had been getting too worked up over this whole thing. The aliens haven't shown themselves since I escaped, and everything was good on my end…minus the injuries. So hopefully everything would just go away. Maybe I could just mark this whole experience as just another nightmare and be done with it. And yet maybe I was just trying to convince myself of the impossible, because these kinds of things never end so simply.

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**Thanks a lot for the great reviews on this. I really love each and every one. So as a thank you I thought I would update without taking a month to do it. Also it's a bit longer too. I hope all the readers enjoy it!  
**


	8. Chapter 8

Kevin began to drive down the highway towards my neighborhood, and I was all too happy to say goodbye to the hospital. I hope I won't have to go back for a long time after this, but I am prone to injury with my job and everything. Well, I'll just keep hoping for the best until something bad actually does happen. Right now I have to focus on what I'm going to tell my parents. They didn't know I was hurt, and it's pretty obvious that I'm not alright at the moment.

Oh, crap! What am I going to tell Julie too? I was with her when we first left to go find the aliens, and now I come back damaged. Ugh. I guess the truth could work, but I don't want her worrying unnecessarily about me.

"Gwen, have you spoken to Julie recently?" I asked.

"No, I haven't. Why?"

"I was just wondering if you had told her anything," I said.

"No, sorry. Do you want to call her?"

"I'll call her later, after I get home. I have a feeling it will take a while."

Gwen nodded, and then the car ride returned to silence. The tires rumbled against the pavement creating a rhythmic sound that went in time with the rev of the engine. I listened to them, thinking about everything that had happened since I last sat in this seat, and before I knew it the car was parked in front of my house. I must have spaced out.

"We're here," Kevin announced.

"Do you want me to come in with you?" Gwen asked.

I nodded. "That would probably be best."

Gwen got out of the car and helped me up. I was mostly stable, but my legs still shook when I stood up, so Gwen supported me to the door. Kevin was waiting for us at the front door, and opened it to let us through. I immediately took a seat on the end of the couch closest to the door. Maybe I shouldn't have left the hospital yet, if I could barely walk to my front door.

"Ben, is that you?" It was my mom and from the way her voice carried through the house she was in the kitchen.

"Yeah, mom. It's me." I said. I waited for her to come out of the kitchen, and when she did her mouth just dropped. I could see the questions forming in her eyes, and the worry appearing on her face.

"Ben, honey what happened to you? You're so pale," She said walking over to me, and dropped onto one knee to stay eye level with me. She then put her hand to my cheek. "Are you injured?"

I shook my head. "Yes," I whispered.

"How… what happened?"

"Um, we were…ambushed, and I was attacked from behind," I could see the horror on my Mom's face. I knew she didn't like it when I went on missions, but she let me go anyway. And she would blame herself for this. "Mom, it's okay. I'll be fine in a few weeks. I just need to rest a little, and let my body heal."

"Is…is this why you were gone for so long?" Mom asked, and then she turned her attention to Gwen and Kevin. Kevin seemed to flinch under her gaze, and Gwen guiltily looked away. "Were you here on Earth this entire time?"

"Yes, I've been in the hospital up until today. I didn't want you to worry needlessly over me. I'm sorry for keeping it from you. I, uh, asked Gwen not to tell you or Dad," I said. Even though I had wanted to tell them the minute I woke up in the hospital where I was, it was better if they didn't know. Mom tended to freak out over most things alien.

"Oh Ben." She brushed my cheek. "Dear, you should have called us. I would have worried, but I could have been there to help you too."

"I know. I'm sorry."

"It's okay, just don't do it again." She said standing up. "Now let's get you to your room, you look exhausted."

I couldn't argue with her there. I was beat. I could easily fall asleep on the couch, but my bed sounded so much better. I guess it really does take a while to recuperate from such a major injury. "Okay."

Mom helped me up and walked with me to my bedroom. Gwen had gone ahead of us, and grabbed some extra pillows from the linen closet, and placed them on the bed. Mom sat me down on the bed.

"Do you need anything?" Mom asked.

"Just those sweatpants on the dresser behind you."

She handed me the pants, and then walked past me to the window. She reached for the shade, and was about to pull it down.

"No don't!" I shouted.

"What? Why?" She looked startled and so did Gwen. I caught her giving me a weird look.

"Um, I just like the sunlight…that's all. I've been cooped up indoors for so long. It's nice." I said trying to hide the minor panic that I felt. There was nothing to be worried about, but for some reason the thought of darkness frightened me. It was like that fear when you're little and you think there's a monster in the closet. It was irrational, but the thought of the dark just set me off.

"Alright. I'll leave them open for now. You just get comfortable and take a nap."

"Call if you need anything, Ben. I'll stick around for a little while." Gwen said and exited my room. Mom followed her and shut the door.

I carefully changed into my sweatpants, and gently tugged off my coat. I threw it over my desk chair and slowly lowered myself into bed. The familiar soft mattress felt good underneath my back compared to the thin hospital bed, although the scratches still ached a lot. But I tried to ignore it, since I was so worn out. I needed a nap or maybe I could just sleep for the next three weeks and wake up healed. Ha, if only.

I watched as the sun streamed in through the window at the base of bed, watching the dust float in the light like specters. For some reason I felt completely unsettled ever since I left the hospital. Well even before that I guess. I wish we could just find those reptilian aliens and send them away for good. No doubt they were dangerous, but they wanted Ghostfreak for some reason, and that was something to be wary of.

Finally, my mind started to drift off, and my eyes grew heavy as I fell asleep. I was tossed into my dreams once more. For a while I hadn't seen anything when I slept, but now I was back in that room with the mirror. This time though it felt like the room was smaller and the small dim light was missing. I could still see the malicious looking reflection staring back at me; a smirk was on his face. His eyes were sunken in and dark, the irises were nearly all black instead of a vibrant green. He also appeared to have patches of burnt flesh where the skin was exposed, like his cheek and neck. It was certainly grotesque seeing how we were still similar in appearance.

"Nice to see you again, Benjamin." He sneered. "You seem to be doing better."

"And you seem to be getting uglier." I replied. I shouldn't acknowledge him, it felt wrong. Something sinister was attached to this form. It looked like me, but I knew for a fact that it wasn't. The last time I encountered him the drugs had induced the dreams to where I felt terrified, or at least that's what I thought. But even now I was still afraid, but it seemed like I could control it better. This dream manifestation would not get the best of me.

"Tsk, no need for insults. I was trying to be nice." He mocked.

"What do you want?"

He smiled again. "Just waiting. It won't be long now." He said it in a sing-song voice that grated against my ears.

"You don't exist." I snapped back.

"Oh but I do! I will come to get you and pretty soon you'll be trapped in this prison instead. Where you get to rot in a cage instead! The clock is ticking Ben!" He cackled, but his voice echoed off into the distance, and instead of looking at the mirror image I was looking at the dark ceiling of my bedroom. I gasped upon realizing that I was awake, the pain in my body making it very apparent.

I groaned and sat up in bed. My heart was racing, and I could hear each beat thumping in my ears. I got up and slowly made my way to the bathroom, and stumbled over to the sink. Turning on the faucet, I splashed cold water on my face trying to chase away the lingering feelings of the nightmare.

I stayed bent over the sink for a few minutes. My body felt heavy and sore whenever I moved, but I stayed that way mostly because I was afraid to look in the mirror. Ridiculous, yes but after seeing that…thing in my dreams it was a rational feeling.

Finally I got the nerve to look up. Thankfully I was normal, well I still looked pretty beat up, but at least I didn't look like a corpse. Ew. I shivered at even thinking about that. The nightmares were starting to feel more realistic now. I don't know what they meant, but maybe I should call Gwen and let her know, or even Azmuth since those reptilian aliens from Anur Phaetos tried to hack the Ultimatrix.

I went over to my desk and grabbed for my cell phone deciding that I should talk to Gwen first and maybe see if Kevin has any ideas about the Ultimatrix if they were with each other. It was still early enough in the night that they would be up. I flipped the phone open and clicked Gwen's name in the address book, it showed her number and just as I was about to hit send I heard a weird voice.

"_No…" _it whispered in a harsh tone.

I dropped my phone as the voice echoed through my mind. And before I could do anything else I felt my body go limp and I collapsed on the floor. I couldn't move and for a moment I thought that I had once again been attacked by those aliens. But before I had the chance to look up from the ground my mind shut down as unconsciousness quickly crept up and consumed me.

* * *

**I'm sorry for the super long wait. Ugh it's been months and I hate that I waited that long to update. I just get side-tracked with real life. I hope that you like this chapter and the little cliff-hanger at the end. I promise not take months until the next update. So thanks to those of you who have read this! I love hearing your comments. **

**P.S.  
Is anyone else disappointed about Omniverse? I'm sure the show will be okay, but the character designs for the humans are pretty bad. I think Ben looks ridiculous and Kevin looks like a larger version of when he was 11. Gwen has freckles...what is up with that?  
**


	9. Chapter 9

"Ben," someone was calling to me. "Ben. Honey, wake up!" I struggled to open my eyes, and found my mom hovering over me.

"What's wrong?" I asked sleepily. She looked extremely frantic as she kneeled down next to me, and then I realized I was lying on the floor. How had that happened? I don't remember deciding to sleep on my floor.

My cell phone was at my side and I grabbed it. Gwen's number was on the screen, ready to be dialed. What did I need her for? The thought was somehow obscured, like I knew but couldn't quite recall what it was. Whatever I wanted from her before I fell to the ground was gone now. Yet somehow I felt completely unsettled seeing her name on the screen. There was something important I needed to say and something still felt off.

"Oh thank goodness. I was about to call an ambulance. I came to check on you and found you collapsed on the ground. You weren't responding to me at all." She said and relaxed a little.

"Sorry Mom, I don't know what happened. I think I got up to use the restroom, and um, fainted." Honestly, I couldn't think of the reason I was on the floor. I could remember waking up and walking to my bathroom. Was it a bad dream that woke me? It definitely felt like it. My skin had goosebumps but it wasn't even cold in my room.

"Well I'm just glad you're okay."

"Yeah. I'm just great," I snapped, and immediately regretted it. I could see the hurt in my mother's eyes. Why did talk to her like that? I've never really been one to be hurtful, especially towards my parents.

"Let's get you up into your own bed." She took my hand and helped me to my feet. My body objected to the action as it was still immensely sore.

"Sorry, I-I didn't mean to say it like that."

"It's all right, honey. I know you're still hurting." I lay down on the bed, sinking into the pillows. It was early morning according to my alarm clock. Only six A.M. "Do you need anything?"

"Maybe some Tylenol? My head is killing me."

"Oh dear," she sighed. "You probably hit it when you fell. I'll be right back."

Mom left the room and I glanced back at my phone again. Maybe I should have Gwen stop by later today, it might trigger what I was trying to call her about before. Or maybe I was just panicking…that happens sometimes when I have nightmares.

Nightmares. What was I dreaming about? It still left me feeling anxious. It must have been something dark.

"Here you go, Ben." Mom said as she came back into the room. She handed me two tablets and a small glass of water. I took them gratefully. "I have to get ready for work, but you can call me on my cell phone if you need anything. Gwen is going to stop by around ten o'clock."

"Okay Mom. Thanks." I could feel myself starting to get drowsy. Mom smiled softly and left my room, the door closing behind her with a soft click.

I fell asleep shortly after that. I don't know what I dreamt about really. It was strange (not that my dreams are actually normal to begin with) but I felt like there was something urgent that I needed to know. There was some kind of presence in my dream, it was watching me or chasing me. All I was aware of was that I had to escape it. Yet before I could actually figure anything out I was woken up.

"Ben," this time it was Gwen who was calling me.

My eyes snapped open and I looked at her. She had a funny expression on her face, like when I mix smoothie flavors together that she doesn't agree with. "What?" I groaned.

"Oh someone's cranky this morning. You were getting restless in your sleep; I wanted to make sure you were all right." She pointed at the bed and I noticed that my sheets were tangled around my feet or thrown to the floor. "Also wanted to make sure that you didn't injure yourself further by flailing around like that and pull your stitches out." She poked my arm when she said that in mock anger.

"Oh. Well I'm okay. I didn't hurt myself." I tell her and slid up into a sitting position. I rubbed my eyes, trying to wake myself up.

"Do you want anything to eat? I can make you some scrambled eggs." She offered. Gwen was still staring at me, but I could tell she wasn't going to say anything even if I asked her.

"Uh, yeah. That sounds good, thanks. I'll meet you in the kitchen."

"Okay," Gwen said and left the room.

I got up slowly from bed and walked over to the bathroom. I looked in the mirror, and was somewhat shocked at my appearance. I had dark circles under my eyes as though I hadn't slept in days, and face was extremely pale. That must have been why Gwen was giving me such a weird look when I woke up. I looked awful. Not to mention that my reflection set off some really bad warning signals. I just couldn't decipher what they were trying to tell me.

I was finished in the bathroom I went toward the kitchen. I could hear the sizzle of the frying pan as Gwen poured the eggs in. I realized that I actually haven't had anything to eat since being released from the hospital, but surprisingly I wasn't too hungry.

As I entered the kitchen I immediately noticed it was way too bright. I gasped and covered my eyes since I was practically blinded how much light was pouring in through the windows.

"Ben! What's wrong?" Gwen asked, alarmed.

"Too bright," I told her. She must have shut the curtains because the room instantly dimmed after I told her the problem. I removed my hands from my eyes and could actually see this time, despite the spots that danced in my vision. Only the light was on over the stove and sun had been blocked from coming into the kitchen.

"Geez Ben, you scared me. I thought something was seriously wrong."

"Sorry, I guess I'm still a little light sensitive. I had a headache this morning." I explained to her and took a seat and the breakfast bar.

"Give me some warning next time, okay?" She turned back to the frying pan. "God, he's so pathetic." I heard her mumble with her back turned to me.

Did I actually just hear that? Gwen was never one to throw insults around unless she was joking (and we both knew it) or she was really ticked off, like in a battle.

"Did you just call me pathetic?" I asked, upset.

She looked over her shoulder confused. "What? No, of course not."

"I heard you, Gwen. When you turned around."

She clicked the burner of the stove off, and put the scrambled eggs on a plate. "Ben, I wouldn't say anything like that to you. Especially now. I know migraines hurt. You probably just heard wrong."

Did I hear wrong? I could have sworn that's what she had said, but then again this morning has been really weird. "Then what did you say?"

"Um, I made you toast too." She said and pulled a piece out of the toaster, and put it on the plate after buttering it. "You sure everything's all right with you?"

"I'm not sure. I think so. This morning has just been…strange."

Gwen handed me the plate and a fork, and then sat down next to me. "Like how?"

"I woke up on the floor this morning and my phone was set to call you." I said while taking a bite of my breakfast. I wasn't really hungry, but the warm food was comforting.

"Why were you going to call me?"

I shrugged, and then winced as the motion pulled at my stitches. "Don't know. I can't remember, but before you arrived this morning I was having a dream. It felt like something was chasing me. And now the whole thing with the lights, and hearing things that weren't actually said. It just doesn't feel right…I don't feel right."

She didn't say anything at first. Gwen just looked like she was thinking it over, like when she's trying to solve a problem. "Maybe you were going to call me about your dream, and just fell back asleep without realizing it. As for everything else, it could just be stress from being out of the hospital. You're adjusting."

"Maybe," I muttered, but I wasn't convinced. I don't think this was just simple anxiety. There was something lingering. A cold, dark presence in my thoughts and I couldn't brush it aside.

* * *

**I am truly sorry for the extremely long update. I didn't want to abandon this story, but I was having some really bad writer's block with it. I am going to finish this though. I hope you enjoy this chapter.  
**

**By the way, Omniverse makes me sad. I miss the old animation style. Ben has become immature...again! They had so much character development and then it just gets wiped out with this new show. It's so frustrating. Gwen and Kevin are missing (and Kevin looks like a thug from the 90's) I do enjoy Rook though, and Khyber looks like he could be a really awesome villain.  
**


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